


Nowhere Left to Go - Stay with Me

by runicmagitek



Category: Final Fantasy VI
Genre: F/M, Implied Sexual Content, New Beginnings, Post-Canon, Self-Doubt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-02
Updated: 2015-10-02
Packaged: 2018-04-24 09:05:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,393
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4913449
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/runicmagitek/pseuds/runicmagitek
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The battle's won and everyone has started anew. Celes has yet to find that something to drive her forward, but she's not the only one who has nowhere to go.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Nowhere Left to Go - Stay with Me

The wind skimmed across the ocean, rippled the deep blue surface, and carried the scent of salt to the shore. Gulls called out to one another and the waves and ships bobbed over the horizon. The misty haze before dawn engulfed Albrook in the witching hour.

She had stood there before by the ledge overlooking the harbor. No one stirred that night or lined the docks in preparation for a voyage across the sea. Now was different. Less stress tugged at her muscles to weigh down her posture. As Celes folded her arms and braced them along the stone wall, she gazed out to the sea without an inkling of worry in her mind.

At least not in comparison to the last time she stood there in solitude.

Her eyes closed and she inhaled the ocean air. The breeze picked up off of the water, dancing with her blonde hair and tickling her face. It was comparable to being on board the airship with everyone else, save for the salty air.

They were gone now, as was to be expected. Kefka had fallen and magic ceased to exist. All was well in the world. Or at least better. In time, crops would return and animals would repopulate. The various ruins of the familiar towns were already being rebuilt. Everyone had a home to return to, a place to call their own or tend to. Most spoke of the enthusiastic outlooks they fostered for their village or kingdom. Bright futures, nearly blinding. Every one of them lined with optimism. They had every right to after escaping Kefka’s Tower in one piece. Adrenaline raced through their veins while they flew away victorious. People would remember their names and mark the day when balance was restored to the world.

But Celes lost something that day. Terra had, too, but Celes hadn’t expected it to affect her, as well. _Why would it not?_ Celes thought. _It makes every bit of sense for it to happen to me._

A thick cloak better suited to the snowy peaks around Narshe enveloped Celes. She opened her eyes and lowered her gaze down to her empty palms. She was cold. True, she always had been, but the ice nipping at her fingertips wasn’t the same. Before, the sensation invigorated her, almost _warmed_ her. Always an icy touch lingering in her movements, a reminder of the gift Shiva bestowed upon her during the Magitek procedures. A gift she now lost. Celes thought she knew what ice was. She welcomed it, but the dull, numbing feeling sending chills and goosebumps across her body... it wasn’t ice. This was different. And she _hated_ it.

Her fingers twitched and curled to regain circulation. She had repeated the motion before, waiting for magic to swirl within her palms and jut out. The blizzards she once commanded ceased to listen to her, for they ceased to existed altogether. Celes sighed, ducking her hands back into her cloak and burrowed deeper into the material.

Not only was the magic gone, but everything she once knew vanished. Vector was a city of the past and no one was willing to reconstruct it. _Let it stay the way it is,_ the people had told her, _and serve as a reminder of what happens when humans lust for power._ Celes couldn’t fault them. She had done her best to end the madness. The people of Maranda refused to listen to whatever aid she offered and the former Imperial towns desired separation from the once prominent Empire and all of its associates. Albrook was the last stop and the folk were happy to have partial roofs over their heads, let alone outside aid. Nothing she could do to assist. No one cared for a former General in search for redemption.

_What am I going to do with myself?_ She wondered while watching the boats float along the water. _Where will I go? What good can I do? Does it even matter anymore?_ Her eyes flicked down and her jaw tightened. _Should I bother?_

“There you are.”

Straightening up from her slumped position, Celes peeked over her shoulder. Everyone might have returned to their respective homes and countries, but she wasn’t the only one who had no place to go.

Setzer let out a yawn, black jacket draped over his shoulders instead of properly slipped onto his body. His shirt was unbuttoned and - thankfully - his pants were closed up. He opted to go barefoot for whatever reason - _right,_ Celes thought, _it_ _’s colder a thousand feet above_ \- and made his way over to Celes. With a slight moan, he pushed his hair out of his tired face and gazed upon her.

“Were you looking for me?” Celes asked, nestled in her cloak.

“Aren’t I always?” he quipped back. Then he paused. “May I join you?”

Celes blamed the heat on her cheeks from the ocean wind teasing her face. “You may.”

He nodded his thanks and proceeded to stand beside Celes, leaning into the stone wall. She tried not to be obvious in her actions while peering over to him. Even in the blue glow, his eyes shined bright, by far her favorite quality. Setzer gazed over the same harbor she had been eyeing for some time, inhaling the ocean air and sighing with a slight smile.

“Sometimes I forget what it’s like to be back on the ground,” he murmured above the wind. “Fly for so long and you don’t want to land. Now and then I have moments where I remember why everyone else is content with being land bound.”

“Something about harbors?”

Setzer hummed. “The ocean. It’s different from above. You can’t smell it - _taste_ it - from high up above. Though it _is_ quite the view from the airship. Can’t say I’d trade it for much of anything.” His lips twitched. “Lovely. Absolutely lovely. Take it you escaped your room to enjoy the view?”

_I wish it were that simple._ “Not quite.” Celes’ eyes drifted away from him, letting the wind lull her to a more relaxed state.

“No?” She heard Setzer shift. Was it his windblown hair tickling her face or her own? “Might I ask what’s troubling you then, if anything?”

There was no point in hiding anything from him. Not after everything they had been through....

“Everyone’s gone now,” she said.

“Mmm, they are. I hear that’s what happens when a story comes to the end. Heroes can’t bask in their tales forever.”

Celes rolled her eyes, yet smiled. “You watch too many operas.”

“Enough to know there’s a reason why none of them have sequels. No one cares about the mundane lives of the lovesick couple.” He snorted. “Maybe the folk from Jidoor would be entertained by domestic bullshit. They don’t have anything else better to talk about these days.” Another bout of silence and Setzer spoke again. “But yes, everyone’s gone.”

“It’s odd.”

“Which part? Everyone being gone or the reasons why?”

Celes closed her eyes. “Both.”

“And why worry about any of it? We’re all in a better position now than a year ago, yes?”

A sigh left her. “Maybe.”

“Maybe?”

She opened her eyes and tilted her head. Setzer met her stare in an instant. Celes had grown used to him laughing and grinning, sometimes even hiding behind a poker face, but now was the first time she saw his face soften while concern swelled in his lovely eyes.

He didn’t say anything more; he simply waited for her. And Celes knew he’d listen. He had done just that right up until now.

“There’s... nowhere for me to go. Several of them offered to have me tag along. Why? I don’t know. Suppose it doesn’t matter now.”

“Who asked you?”

“Setzer, it doesn’t-”

“Let me guess. Edgar wanted you to be his advisor. You _would_ be rather capable of such a role.”

Celes stifled a chuckle. “No, but he told me I should tag along and ‘figure it out’ as he put it. Hell if I know.”

“The desert would be warm.”

“I don’t believe it would be enough of a selling point, to be honest. For all I know, he’d throw me in with the rest of the attendants just to see me in a dress again.”

“... _well_ -”

“Don’t even _say_ it.”

Setzer laughed, the sound carried out by the wind.

“So no Edgar,” he said. “I’d imagine Sabin said nothing to you then?” Celes shook her head. “And Cyan?”

“I couldn’t go to Doma knowing what happened there.”

“You returned to Maranda.”

Celes twisted her hands over one another. “That’s different.”

“Did you ask him?”

“No, he approached me. Wished me the best and went on his way.”

Setzer didn’t push the topic and Celes was thankful for it. “What of Relm and Strago?”

“They offered, but Relm has dreams of returning to Jidoor and Strago wants to ensure she’s set when he’s no longer around. I don’t blame him. I have no part in that equation.”

“Don’t wish to be a model for her?”

“I couldn’t sit still for that long if I tried.”

“The former military officer can’t sit for a lovely portrait of herself?”

“There’s a difference between standing at attention and standing with someone’s eyes upon you.”

“Oh?” Setzer purred with a smirk, leaning in ever so slightly. “Is that so?”

She swore her entire face flushed. She never answered.

“What of Terra?”

Celes knitted her brows together and whipped her head at Setzer to shoot him a scowl. He was already failing at containing his amusement when she spat back at him. “You _honestly_ believe _I_ would do _well_ in a village overrun by children with a young couple bringing a newborn into the world? _Really_? You think there is _nothing_ _wrong_ with that scenario?!”

Setzer bit at his lip to hold back his laughter. “You and Terra get along so well, though.”

“Terra’s not a crying, sniveling _brat_.”

“Oh, they’re not _all_ that bad.” Celes glared at him and Setzer snickered. “Okay, maybe they are. Honestly, I can’t blame you.”

She heaved out a sigh. “Good.”

As her face relaxed, so did Setzer’s. The blue glow around them lightened and she was able to see more of his face. He acquired a few more scars along the way since she first met him. Minor ones, nothing worth telling stories of, but Celes remembered them. Had she not been so damn _cold_ , she would have dared to reach out and brush over the faint lines carved into his long face.

“And Locke?”

Celes froze. “What?”

“Did you speak with him before he left?”

Parting her eyes from Setzer, Celes returned her sights to the ocean. She had stood there before with someone else by her side. Her hands clenched and her mind buzzed back then, unable to form coherent words without resulting to shrieking into the midnight air. So she left, preferring silence over confrontation. That much never changed.

“Yes,” Celes spoke plainly. “He came to me. Said he was returning to Kohlingen. Wasn’t sure as to whether or not he was settling down or... adventuring, I guess. He didn’t say, but he wanted me to go with him.” When she paused to breathe, she half expected Setzer to fill the space with his voice. He didn’t. For that, Celes was grateful. “I told him I couldn’t. Whatever the case, I’m not meant to sit still in one place and watch the world go by. Nor am I fond of venturing across unknown lands in search of... I don’t even know what. Things only legends speak of. I can’t chase after empty promises like that.”

_Not when I already promised something else...._

While the ocean rolled through her ears, she closed her eyes and found herself back in Kohlingen. The bar trembled on its foundation and managed to sell whatever liquid they claimed to be alcohol. She didn’t know what she or Edgar or Sabin were searching for when they stepped foot into it, but Celes wouldn’t have bet in a million lifetimes to find Setzer sitting there. Celes clung onto him then, begged for him to help. Of all of them, he was expected to laugh at the state the world was in and forge his own path. A new one.

_You_ _’d chase after it with me then?_ He asked her well over a year ago, eyes heavy and lips tugging upward. _My new dream?_

Celes didn’t nod in hopes to earn his allegiance again. At least she didn’t realize it at the time. With Setzer back, her heart beat faster in her chest and her fingers fidgeted more often than not. He was there for her the lonesome nights when their searches turned out fruitless and she wanted to admit defeat. He was there, arm around her form and offering his shoulder to cry upon. Always listening, always there to catch her when she fell.

“Then what would you wish to do?”

Opening her eyes, she tilted her head back to Setzer. “I don’t know. What will _you_ do?”

He perked an eyebrow up. “Don’t know, either. Well, I know what I _won_ _’t_ do and that’s agree to another revolutionary group’s ideas. Same goes to any bets involving coin tosses.”

Celes couldn’t help but giggle. “Here I thought you’d be remodeling the Falcon to be your next haven in the sky.”

“Perhaps. Or maybe not. I haven’t decided.” Setzer craned his head back to watch the dark clouds float by. “Part of me doesn’t wish to alter the Falcon in such a way and another part longs for the old days.” He sighed. “Or maybe this is an end of a chapter and I’ll find something else to entertain myself with. Either way, I’ll take to the skies again and keep to myself until something interests me. Bound to happen eventually.” Pausing, he rolled his head enough to peer over to Celes. “You’re more than welcome to join me.”

She fluttered her eyes. “And do _what_?”

“I don’t expect you to sing, if that’s what you’re thinking, though if a second casino rolls around, you’d be _excellent_ for security.”

“Did your guards wield swords then?”

“They will _now_.”

Celes breathed out a chuckle as she shook her head, eyes falling back to the horizon. “Setzer, I... I’d be in the way.”

“Doubt it.”

“I don’t even know what it is I’m looking for.”

“Then I’ll keep flying around the world until you find that something which grabs your attention. I could never submit you to being chained to the Falcon. Songbirds must fly, after all, no?” She didn’t answer and Setzer sighed. “Come with me, Celes. The moment you want to leave, I’ll dock at the nearest town of your choice and let you walk. I promise.”

Her heart leapt into her throat and dared to choke her. “You’d do that?”

“I’d do many things for you so long as your pretty, little head is rid of whatever thoughts are preventing you from sleeping. Let yourself relax. Enjoy this _nothingness_ for a change of pace. For now, anyways. Until something steals your heart away.”

Warm hues filtered through the clouds. The sun crept over the skyline and splashed light across the ocean. Celes blinked when it caught her eyes.

“Celes.”

His voice was a murmur, yet thrummed down to her toes. Two fingers curled beneath her chin and brought her face level with his. Orange and pink lights illuminated his face. His gaze hypnotized her.

“I could never cage you,” he breathed upon her lips. “I’d rather you perched along the railing, waiting to fly at any moment. If it would make you happy....”

She inhaled and his thumb traced the edge of her lower lip. She exhaled and they nuzzled deeper into one another.

“Fly away with me then?” she whispered.

Setzer didn’t utter a word; he dragged his thumb away and replaced it with his lips.

They had shared a kiss before, albeit under different circumstances. The group prepared for departure onto Kefka’s Tower, split into thirds. Celes gripped her rune blade, donning her best armor while preparing for the drop with Cyan, Strago, and Edgar. Setzer rushed over to Celes and met her halfway from her post. The wind tore around the upper deck, both blinding them and drawing them together.

He said her name. She never heard him sound so desperate, so heartbroken before.

_Is this where you tell me to come back alive?_ she jested with him.

The solemn stare in his violet eyes killed any remaining humor Celes possessed. Setzer stepped up to meet her, cupped her cheek, and matched her gaze.

_I_ _’ll be waiting for you,_ he whispered into her lips. _I always was._

Clearly he hadn’t cared who saw them when he locked lips with her. Celes hadn’t either as she savored the mere seconds he allowed them to share together. The moment she grew accustomed to the warm buzz along her mouth, he pulled back and tore his sights from her to return to his group. A desperate, greedy kiss, but a kiss.

Since their return, he had yet to touch her. Celes waited, wondering if he long forgotten her now. All her doubts vanished the moment his lips closed over hers.

Slowly her mouth moved over his and he mimicked the pace she set. Tiny sounds crept out of Celes while she relished the softness and tenderness residing within his lips. Now that the end of the world wasn’t looming over their heads, they could enjoy this - enjoy one another. His hand trailed from her chin to her neck and tugged her into him. Celes nestled into his body, purring when he wrapped an arm around her.

The breeze picked up and the sun rose from the ocean. People lined the docks and stirred from their homes. Neither of them cared. Only Setzer existed in Celes’ world and so long as he didn’t stop nipping at her lips and teasing her with his tongue, she had no reason to be concerned.

After sucking hard on her lower lip, Setzer came to a pause. Celes whimpered into him and she swore he grinned into her.

“Come back to bed with me,” he said quietly.

Celes peeked through her heavy lids. “I’m not tired.”

“Whoever said we’d be sleeping?”

At one point in her life, Celes refused to whittle her life down to being an accessory for a man. She was her own woman and made her own choices. Even when she didn’t know what her options were, Celes was quicker to jump on an opportunity than shyly wait for someone else to hand it to her. No one would have rule over her again and deal with the consequences of her own actions.

Said actions involved the trail of clothing leading back to bed. It was in the shifting sheets and tangled blankets. It was a hot mouth on her neck, a hand on the small of her back, and a pulsing warmth between her legs. The sounds, the movements, the aches, the pleasure - she remembered all of it. She _longed_ for it longer than she was willing to let herself acknowledge.

But Setzer wasn’t going to treat her like property. He had been true to his word time and time again. He knew better than anyone else how she loathed the act of doing nothing and reluctantly pinning herself to one place. While the Falcon was indeed one vessel, it led her to many lands she didn’t know of. Perhaps there was no difference between flying aimlessly and mindless adventuring, but Celes knew at any point, she could jump off and fly away. He would let her. He would _encourage_ her.

Celes nestled into his warm body, listening to the rapid beats of his heart while he caught his breath. Every inch of her tingled. She licked her lips as his hand wandered over her nude form, rousing more blush to her cheeks. She thought again of his offer, thought of the possibilities awaiting her.

The potential for _them_.

She didn’t know what could happen, for she couldn’t predict the future, but Celes did know that no bird had ever stayed in its nest forever. One day, she’d spread her wings and fly. She only hoped the Falcon would keep up.


End file.
